Daily PresenceSample

I enjoy watching college football or The World Cup, but ultimately when it comes to sports I…I just…don’t care. I don’t care about the outcome and I don’t hold much value in the victory. However, I am aware that many people do. They really do.

I learned this lesson as a young boy of about seven years old. My mom and dad took me to an Atlanta Falcon’s game in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome. We parked our car in a large lot and took MARTA (Atlanta’s subway if you will) and rode it to the stadium. I recall the Falcons were playing the New York Giants. Most of the people around us were Falcons fans, but there were two gentlemen rooting for the Giants a few rows in front of us. At first, this didn’t seem to be a problem. Everyone watched the game over the foamy rims of plastic cups and sucked down hotdogs between gulps. Even I was having a good time appreciating the experience.

Somewhere around halftime the Giants gained a substantial lead on the Falcons and the Giants fan began to become braggadocious. More than braggadocious. He began the dreaded “trash talk”. He seemed well versed in it, and I even learned a few new words. At first his talk was largely ignored or we met with thoughtful gestures or a few “shut ups”. However, as more of the plastic cups were drained of their contents, the Falcons fans surrounding the fan grew tired of his antics. As the Giants fan stepped into the aisle to face the horde of Falcons fans behind him and shout his next jeer, a man across the aisle filled his mouth with a closed fist. Quickly others joined and men in striped shirts came to separate the ruckus. After a few more new words and a lot of shoving, the Giants fan, mouth covered in blood, was dragged from the area. People cheered.

People love choosing sides. They love having them versus us. And when those lines are crossed, they aim to kill. Paul angered the Jews as well as the Gentiles. They wanted his head. Yet, God protected Him. Paul was saved through his divine protection and humble innocence. His aim was to display Christ to others. Let us not forget it is not about them versus us. It is about being Jesus to them.